LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) - "Destiny" has taken off for Activision, generating over $500 million in sales to retailers worldwide before the game's launch this week.
The figure makes the title the largest launch of a new video game franchise in history.
The game, in which players take the role of guardians who protect the last human city on Earth, also became the highest selling digital console release in its first day of release, and is now on track to become Activision's next billion dollar franchise after "Call of Duty" and "Skylanders."
The company spent over $500 million to make and market the title, making it one of its most expensive releases ever. It tapped "Tron: Legacy" director Joseph Kosinski to direct a live action trailer for the game, as part of its campaign.
"Destiny" launched at over 11,000 midnight openings around the world in over 178 countries on Sept. 8.
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"Since the beginning, we've been confident that our investment and belief in 'Destiny' would pay off. But not many people believed we'd be able to say it did so on day one," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. "'Destiny' is officially the biggest new franchise launch in our industry's history. It's also the highest-selling day one digital console release in history. We have more confidence than ever that 'Destiny' will become one of the iconic franchises of this generation, and Activision's next billion dollar brand. Most importantly, it's just a great game which we can't stop playing. A big thanks to our incredibly talented team and partners who helped make this happen, most importantly, our partners at Bungie."
Bungie created Microsoft's flagship "Halo" franchise, and signed a 10-year deal with Activision in 2010 to launch new franchises like "Destiny."
"This industry milestone marks another blockbuster success for our company and demonstrates our unique ability to create some of the most successful entertainment franchises in the world," said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard.
